Ben Wallace
Ben Wallace (born September 10, 1974) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA who plays center and power forward for the Detroit Pistons. He is listed at 6 ft 9in (206 cm), although as he has stated probably stands closer to 6 ft 8in (199 cm) and weighs 240 lb (109 kg). He is four-time winner of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, a feat only equalled by Dikembe Mutombo, and is regarded as one of the finest defensive players of all time. His nickname is "Big Ben". Basketball career Born in White Hall, Alabama, Wallace played college basketball on the junior college level at Cuyahoga Community College for two years before transferring to Virginia Union, a Division II school. As an undrafted player, he was signed as a rookie free agent by the Washington Bullets on October 2, 1996. In 1999, Wallace was traded to the Orlando Magic along with Tim Legler, Terry Davis, and Jeff McInnis for Ike Austin. On August 3, 2000, he was traded along with Chucky Atkins to the Detroit Pistons for Grant Hill, in what was at the time considered a one-sided trade; Hill had planned to sign with Orlando as an unrestricted free agent, but the sign and trade deal allowed Hill to receive a slightly more lucrative contract while Detroit received at least some compensation for losing its marquee player. But since the deal, Wallace has had by far the more successful career. He has been considered the quintessential defensive specialist, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05, and 2005-06 seasons. In the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, he led the league in both rebounds and block shots. In 2003, he was voted by fans to first NBA All-Star Game as the starting center for the Eastern Conference. He became the first undrafted player to ever start an All-Star Game. He, along with Chauncey Billups, captained the Pistons' 2004 NBA championship team. Player profile Wallace features an impressive physique (even measured against the standards of his NBA peers) which allows him to out-muscle most of his opposition and play bigger than his body. Wallace constantly ranks among the best rebounders and shot blockers. His uncanny defensive timing allows him to defend with great intensity without committing a foul (his career average of 2.1 fouls per game http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ben_wallace/ is considered low). In addition, he is seen also as one of the most reliable contributors, rarely failing to deliver in important games. His drawback is his offensive game. Although he averaged almost 10 points per game in 2005, he is not considered an offensive threat. He has tried to work hard on becoming less of an offensive liability. Realizing his limitations on offense, he will make smart passes in addition to making cuts to the basket to receive a pass for a potential easy lay-up. Like other big men in the NBA, namely Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain, Wallace is an atrocious free throw shooter. In fact, he is the worst free throw shooter in NBA history out of any player with more than 1000 attempts. As of October 2005, his NBA career average is 42.0%. This ineptitude at the free throw line results in his sometimes becoming a target of the so-called "Hack-a-Shaq" defense (A tactic that has drawn the ire of teammate Rasheed Wallace). The reason for this drawback is that his right wrist has some ligaments that were cut off due to a surgery that was needed because his hand had some carpal tunnel issues. This causes his hand to go "dead" whenever he dunks, falls to the ground, or when he shoots a free throw, resulting in him being unable to make them on a consistent basis. Though he is only measured at 6 ft 9 in (a height which is often disputed), he is known as one of the best off-ball and post defenders in NBA history. Year Age Team G PPG FGP FTP 3PP RPG APG 1996-97 22 WAS 34 1.1 .348 .300 .000 1.7 0.1 1997-98 23 WAS 67 3.1 .518 .357 .000 4.8 0.3 1998-99 24 WAS 46 6.0 .578 .356 .000 8.3 0.4 1999-00 25 ORL 81 4.8 .503 .487 .000 8.0 0.8 2000-01 26 DET 80 6.4 .490 .336 .250 13.2 1.5 2001-02 27 DET 80 7.6 .531 .423 .000 13.0 1.4 2002-03 28 DET 73 6.9 .481 .450 .167 15.4 1.6 2003-04 29 DET 81 9.5 .421 .490 .125 12.6 1.7 2004-05 30 DET 74 9.7 .453 .428 .111 12.2 1.7 2005-06 31 DET 82 7.3 .510 .416 .000 11.3 1.9 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals 698 6.6 .482 .418 .118 10.7 1.2 On February 9, 2006, for the fourth time in his career, Wallace was selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas as a reserve for the Eastern Conference. Though his team is one of the biggest offensive forces in the NBA, his point-per game average dropped from 9.7 points in 2005 to 7.3 points in 2006. Accolades * NBA Champion: 2004 * 4-time NBA All-Star: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 * 4-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 * 5-time All-NBA Defensive First Team: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 * 5-time All-NBA: :* Second Team: 2003, 2004, 2006 :* Third Team: 2002, 2005 * 2-time NBA regular-season leader, rebounds per game: 2002 (13.0), 2003 (15.4) * NBA regular-season leader, blocks per game: 2002 (3.5) * 2-time NBA regular-season leader, total rebounds: 2001 (1052), 2003 (1026) * NBA regular-season leader, total defensive rebounds: 2001 (749) * 2-time NBA regular-season leader, total offensive rebounds: 2003 (293), 2006 (301) * NBA regular-season leader, total blocks: 2002 (278) NBA records/achievements * The only player in NBA history to record 1,000 rebounds, 100 blocks, and 100 steals in 4 consecutive seasons (2001-04). * One of only three players in NBA history to record 150 blocks and 100 steals in 6 consecutive seasons (2001-06) (along with Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson). * One of only four players in NBA history to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocking averages in the same season (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, and Hakeem Olajuwon). * The only undrafted player in NBA history to be voted a starter for the NBA All-Star Game. * One of only two players in NBA history to receive ' NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award ' 4 times (along with Dikembe Mutumbo--although, another plus for Wallace is that he hit the mark in 5 years, while Mutumbo needed 6 years to be awarded 4.) Detroit Pistons franchise records (15) * Most blocked shots, all-time: 1,297 (2000–present) * Most blocked shots in **one game: 10 (November 10, 2002 vs. Miami Heat) **one half: 7''' (February 1, 2003 vs. New Jersey Nets) **one quarter: '''5 (March 10, 2002 vs. Indiana Pacers) **one season: 278 (2001-02) * Highest blocks-per-game average, one season: 3.48 (2001-02) * Most defensive rebounds, one quarter: 10 (November 18, 2002 vs. New York Knicks). * Most rebounds, one half, playoffs: 17 (Game 4, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round) * Most rebounds, one quarter, playoffs: 13 (Game 4, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round) * Most offensive rebounds, one game, playoffs: 11 (Game 3, 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals) * Most offensive rebounds, one half, playoffs: 7''' (Game 3, 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals) * Most defensive rebounds, one game, playoffs: '''17 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference Finals) * Most defensive rebounds, one half, playoffs: 12 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference Finals) * Most defensive rebounds, one quarter, playoffs: 9''' (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference Finals) * Most steals, one game, playoffs: '''7 (Game 4, 2003 Eastern Conference Fist Round) Other * Member of the 2002 USA Basketball World Championship team. Controversy On November 21, 2004, Wallace was suspended for six games by Commissioner David Stern for his role in a massive brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills on November 19, 2004 that involved members of the Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, and Pistons spectators. Trivia * Wallace has gained great notoriety in the Detroit area and nationwide, and fans often arrive at his games sporting wigs in honor of his trademark afro hairstyle. However, he only has the afro for home games; for away games, he has his hair styled into cornrows. He stated he was made fun of at away games for his hair styles. * Whenever Wallace scores or records a block in his home court, the sound of a gong is played, an allusion to the Big Ben, Wallace's nickname. * ESPN announcers have said that Wallace is able to bench press 460 pounds (210 kg) and curl 200 pounds (90 kg) for several repetitions. The Detroit Free Press has also added that he has only 3.8% body fat. * Was an all-state basketball, football, and baseball player in high school. * Is the 10th of the 11 children in his family. * Studied Criminal Justice at Virginia Union University. * Enjoys hunting, fishing, swimming, and playing video games. * Wallace appeared on the cover of ESPN NBA 2K5. * Played in Italy before coming to the NBA. External links *NBA.com Profile - Ben Wallace *Fantasy NBA Basketball Stats - Ben Wallace *Ben Wallace – Player profile, statistics, biography, wallpapers *Need4Sheed.com – Pistons fanpage with Ben Wallace media *Article on Ben's wrists Wallace, Ben Wallace, Ben Wallace, Ben Wallace, Ben Wallace, Ben Wallace, Ben Wallace, Ben Wallace, Ben Wallace, Ben Wallace, Ben de:Ben Wallace fr:Ben Wallace it:Ben Wallace he:?? ????? ja:???????? zh:?�??? pl:Ben Wallace